Network Management

Network Management
Network management as monitoring, testing, configuring, and troubleshooting network components to meet a set of requirements defined by an organization. These requirements include the smooth, efficient operation of the network that provides the predefined quality of service for users. To accomplish this task, a network management system uses hardware, software, and humans.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines five areas of network management: configuration management, fault management, performance management, security management, and accounting management.
1. Configuration management
The configuration management system must know, at any time, the status of each entity and its relation to other entities. Configuration management can be divided into two subsystems: reconfiguration and documentation.
1.1. Reconfiguration
Reconfiguration can be a daily occurrence in a large network. There are three types of reconfiguration: hardware reconfiguration, software reconfiguration, and user-account reconfiguration.
1.2. Documentation
The original network configuration and each subsequent change must be recorded meticulously. This means that there must be documentation for hardware, software, and user accounts.
2. Fault Management
Fault management is the area of network management that handles this issue. An effective fault management system has two subsystems: reactive fault management and proactive fault management.
2.1. Reactive Fault Management
A reactive fault management system is responsible for detecting, isolating, correcting, and recording faults. It handles short-term solutions to faults.
2.2. Proactive Fault Management
Proactive fault management tries to prevent faults from occurring. Although this is not always possible, some types of failures can be predicted and prevented. For example, if a manufacturer specifies a lifetime for a component or a part of a component, it is a good strategy to replace it before that time.